The evidence

The earliest representations of boats are clay models and paintings on pottery dating from c.5000 bc to 3000 bc. Such depictions became more common into and throughout the Dynastic Period and are shown in tomb and temple paintings and reliefs. Whilst a great deal of information can be obtained from these scenes, much interpretation of the evidence is required; for the artists did not show perspective, and judging the scale of some scenes can be difficult, as human figures, for example, are often represented at unrealistic sizes relative to their surroundings and to one another.

Model boats have been found in great numbers in tombs, mostly dating to the Middle Kingdom (c.2055-1650 bc). Made of wood, plastered, and brightly painted, they show vessels propelled by oars and sail, often with a full complement of crew on board. Examples of model boats in poor condition also survive from the New Kingdom (c.1550-1069 bc) originating from some of the plundered royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, and thirty-five intact examples were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb. Good as these models often are, the artists invariably simplified the details. The ‘‘sheer’’ or curve of the hull of the model boat is usually exaggerated, and the hull shape is often distorted. Many have flat bottoms simply to enable models to stand upright on the floor of a tomb, so that it is important to differentiate between these and boats that really did have flat bottoms (Jones 1990). Uniquely for any ancient culture, in Egypt full-sized and intact examples of boats also survive. Few in number, they nevertheless establish proportions, design, and building techniques, which changed little over the centuries. These provide information which is simply not available from any other source. By using all the evidence

Figure 20.1a and 20.1b Decorated Predynastic pots from the Naqada II Period showing boats, one clearly with a sail. © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Available boats of the Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt can be reconstructed with reasonable accuracy. They fall into two distinct types: those constructed from reeds and those of wood: